Maturation of cardiac control in full-term and preterm infants during sleep

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Abstract

ECG and respiration were recorded from 13 full-term and 8 preterm infants at 2–5-week intervals during sleep at home in the first year of life. Average pulse interval in both quiet and active sleep was minimum at postnatal ages between 4 and 10 weeks, with the minimum during quiet sleep being significantly smaller for preterm (409 ±22 (SE) msec) than for full-term (445 ±9 msec) infants. The minimum average pulse interval of preterm infants was smaller than the pulse interval of full-term infants at any postconceptional age, and a smaller average pulse interval and smaller variations in pulse interval in preterm infants during quiet sleep persisted until a postnatal age of 7 months. The pulse interval variations attributable to respiration varied substantially with age. The results indicate that developmental changes in cardiac rate control are functions of both postnatal and postconceptional age, with the post-conceptional age at birth setting the mean level of pulse interval, a level which is then altered by development linked to postnatal age.

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